the slave king
by powerking
Summary: review


At the Elephant Graveyard near the Pride Lands, a box had arrived at the lair of the three Hyenas. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. The female hyena and the leader of the small pack through her own cunning and intelligence, Shenzi gleefully descended upon the delivered box, opening it.

"What are they?" Banzai asked.

"The collars I ordered."

"Collars? Why would you order collars?" Ed asked.

"These are special collars. If you make someone wear them, it puts them into a trance and you can control them. They'll be perfect to take over those Lions..."

"If they work." Banzai noted.

"If they don't, there's a money-back guarantee." Shenzi dismissed his worry.

"Kaa's Entrancement Collars? Who's Kaa?" Ed asked, looking at the box.

"He's the snake on the box, dummy. Now get over here. Banzai, put one of them on Ed to test it. If these are no good I'm going to get my money back..." Shenzi ordered.

"And when they don't work?" Banzai sighed, taking the collar.

"Well, I get my money back obviously."

"Okay, so, since they don't work, why not test it yourself?" Banzai said, and swiftly clamped the collar onto the startled female Heyna. She gasped and tried to remove the collar immediately, but then realised nothing was happening.

"Damn it, useless junk! Never trust a snake!" She growled, and then turned angrily on Banzai. The male Hyena cowered as she raised a fist...

And stopped. Her eyes went blank, her angered expression faltered. The fist and her arms fell limp at her sides. Her eyes became many colours, spirals emitting from her pupils.

Even as she felt her mind blanking, Shenzi realised to herself one last thought:

' _They really work..._ '

"Hey, did it work?" Ed asked. Banzai waved a paw in front of her face.

"I think so..." He said, checking the instructions.

"Okay, it says here we either call anyone under a collar by name, or look them in the eye and call them slave. So, Shenzi... Pick up another collar."

The entranced Hyena did so.

"Put it back down." Banzai commanded.

"Okay, so she's obeying. How do they work?" Ed wondered. Baznai checked one collar, finding a small gemstone on the back.

"It says this gemstone interferes with the brains of most mammals, birds, and lizards, putting them into blank trances. Just clamp it on the neck it says... Or you can put another little gemstone onto it to inhibit the other one unless you use this remote to switch off all the inhibitors."

Ed didn't follow, but nodded anyway.

"What are we gonna do with them?"

"Well, Shenzi had a plan... And I think I know what it was."

***

The two Hyenas and one Slave-Hyena watched from their hiding spot. Below, a patch of honey could be seen, but only if one looked very carefully.

"What do we do now?" Ed pondered.

"Wait, of course..."

***

Nala was fuming. She'd walked right into a patch of something sticky, and now her feet wouldn't move an inch.

' _Whoever's behind this prank..._ ' She thought, as Shenzi emerged. The Hyena female held a small collar in her hands and walked towards her.

"You hyenas! I should have known!" Nala fumed, trying to free her legs. She bared her claws as the other two showed up, cackling.

"Go on, Shenzi, go put the collar on her..." Banzai said, as the female Hyena marched forward almost mechanically.

Nala looked at the Hyena's eyes. They seemed strange, a kaleidoscope of colours, swirling and spiralling.

"...What's with her?" Nala asked. The hyenas cackled again.

"...What is with her?" Ed then realised. Banzai hit him.

"You'll see."

Nala swiped at Shenzi, who didn't even flinch as the lioness slashed a long cut down her arm. She simply reached over and clamped the collar on, even as Nala tried to use her claws again.

"What is this?! A collar like hers? Is this some sick joke?"

Her hands flew to the collar even as she still struggled with her trapped feet, trying to yank it off, but she felt... Weaker. Slowing down. It was harder to do anything. Harder to free her feet, take this collar off...

The hyenas watched her angry face soften. Her fiery eyes going dull...

' _Feel sleepy... Why am I sleepy?_ Nala pondered, as her arms fell to her sides.

She was too tired to struggle now. Maybe just stand for a little while. Rest up. Stay still and relax... Stand at attention... For the masters...

The once proud Lioness now stood mannequin-stiff, her blanked eyes staring forward. And then, with a single blink, they changed. The spirals of kaleidoscopic colour spread from her eye's pupil, swirling around. The blank-faced, rainbow-eyed lioness was now under the control of her masters. Her eyes alone were almost hypnotic themselves...

Shenzi stood beside her, not reacting to her injured arm. The two unenslaved hyenas walked over.

"Slave... Who are we?" Banzai asked. Nala turned her coloured eyes on him, as did Shenzi.

"You are my masters." They both said in monotone. Banzai grinned.

"Cool. I have something to test..."

"What?" Ed wondered.

"Something I saw in the instructions... Slave Nala... I want you to go from Trance One to Trance Two."

"Yes, master." Nala said. The spirals of colour began fading away, the intensity of them reducing until her eyes looked normal.

"Did you free her?!" Ed panicked, running. Banzai grinned.

"No. Come here and look right into her eyes."

Ed did so nervously, but was surprised to see that the lioness had the same blank face and stiff posture. But inside the black pupils of her eyes, were two almost invisible grey spirals, spinning around.

"It's a more subtle mode. Means no one spots the rainbow eyes..." Banzai grinned.

"So she can go up to other lions easier?" Ed asked.

"Hmm... That gives me an idea..."

The smarter of the two hyenas not enslaved by a collar smiled to himself.

***

Nala walked forward, moving somewhat stiffly, but only a close observer would realise anything was wrong. Even her own daughter would be fooled. And indeed, Kiara was fooled, as she took a drink from the river. The younger lioness was oblivious as her entranced mother approached her.

"Oh... Hey, mom. I didn't hear you there." Kiara said. The entranced lioness kept advancing.

"...Mom?" Kiara asked, confused. Then Nala pounced, diving onto her daughter, pinning her in place as she clamped the collar on.

The older lioness held the other's arms tightly to her side even as she struggled, eyes wide with confusion.

"Hey! What the?!"

Kiara struggled and protested, but her enslaved mother held her in place. Kiara's struggles weakened, as she felt her mind going under.

"What... What's happening..."

Kiara's eyelids grew heavy, falling closed for just a second, but as they opened, her mind faded and her eyes began emitting the colourful spirals. Her mother held the newly controlled lioness in place, awaiting certainty the newly controlled subject was under even as the eyes became the rainbow of spirals. The two then stood as their masters approached.

"She just turned her own daughter into one of our toys!" Ed chortled.

"Yeah, she did. I wonder what other lions we can get with them... Tell me, slave. Where's the nearest other lioness, and how can we have you catch her?"

Sarafina had a headache, and it simply would not go away. She'd tried resting, tried drinking more water, trying lying in the shade, but it wouldn't fade.

She heard something approaching, and looked up to see Kiara, her granddaughter.

"Kiara. Do you have any idea how I can get rid of this headache?"

"Perhaps you could try this collar, grandmother." Kiara said, reaching out. Sarafina paused. Kiara was wearing the same collar.

"Does it help you at all?" She asked. Something seemed wrong.

"Yes. I also had a headache a few minutes ago but with the collar it is now gone."

Sarafina sighed. It was worth a try. She placed the collar on her neck...

...And almost instantly felt the effects. Her body went stiff. Her eyes began to grow heavy, and she too felt that effect of her mind clearing. Realising something was wrong, she tried to resist.

"No..." She said, managing to force her arms to reach for the collar. Just a few more inches and she could undo the clasp...

...Her hands fell once more. Her eyelids fell too. Just a fraction of a second, and now, Sarafina was under as well, her eyes going into the multi-coloured spirals like those lionesses and one hyena enslaved before here. Nala entered, oblivious to her mother joining the small but growing Pride of lion-slaves. The Hyenas followed, Shenzi still entranced too.

"This is going pretty well... But that one mentioned another grandmother. Four lionesses under our control and we can go after Simba..." Banzai chuckled.

"Great! Wait, how?" Ed asked.

"They can overpower him. He won't hurt his mate, his daughter, or his mother and mother-in-law, will he?"

"I suppose not. But how do we catch the other lioness?"

"We let her catch herself."

***

For the deviousness of the plot so far, it could not be said that the Hyenas displayed originality in their chosen trap to ensnare their fourth lioness.

"Why would someone spread a layer of honey all over the ground?" Sarabi pondered aloud.

"Okay, plan B..." Banzai muttered from the hiding spot. The three enslaved lionesses stood, and advanced upon Sarabi. The more alert lioness spotted them.

"Do any of you know who spread all this honey around?" Sarabi asked upon seeing the other three lionesses, then she noticed something.

"Sarafina... What's wrong with your eyes?"

The three enslaved lionesses kept advancing. Sarabi turned to flee, realising something was wrong, but the three slaves jumped after her. Nala pinned her down, and to keep her struggles weak, Sarafina had been ordered to distract her somehow. The way the enslaved lionesses almost blank mind had chosen, was to stroke the feet of the target, tickling her and confusing her.

"What's going on here?! What is this?" Sarabi protested, then giggled as Sarafina began working.

Kiara meanwhile, approached her paternal grandmother, and like the others before, clamped the collar in place. Sarabi's resistance was weakened by her restraint and the actions of Sarafina. It wasn't long until here eyes too became the kaleidoscopic spirals like those of her fellow lionesses, and Banzai had his four new slaves.

"Now, the king himself. We get them to take Simba..."

***

At Pride Rock, Simba was confused to see the four lionesses enter.

"Is something wrong?" He asked. The appearance of his mother, mother in law, mate, and daughter all at once troubled him.

Kiara and Sarafina moved first, leaping on the king and holding him down. His mother mover behind him as the struggling king was held fast. Nala stood before him.

"Nala... What's going on here?" He asked, and then saw the shapes behind her. Three Hyenas."

"Slave Nala... Go from Trance Two, to Trance One..." Banzai instructed. Immediately, Nala's eyes resumed their kaleidoscope of colours.

The change caught Simba's eyes, and he found himself transfixed by the hypnotised stare of his mate. His mother clamped the collar in place, and thanks to his semi-trance staring at Nala's eyes, he was converted almost instantly. He barely had a chance to think of resisting before like the others, his eyes showed that telltale sign his mind was soon to be under the control of his new master. The spiralling eyes of the king spelled out the fate of his kingdom even as he gave one last vain attempt to resist.

' _I can't... fail..._ '

With barely a last thought, Simba was now under the control of Banzai, and with that control, the Pride Lands were now on the road to slavery.

"And now... We have a king to rule. Ed, how many collars are left in the box?"

"Uh, lots..."

Banzai smiled.

"Slave Simba. Here's what you're going to do. Every lion and lioness in the pride lands is to come here, and wear one of these collars. If anyone objects, you and your pride will hunt them down and make them wear it. Do you understand?"

"Yes, master." Simba acknowledged.

***

It was strange, but Vitani felt these collars couldn't be trusted. Something about the way Simba and the others with them had been acting, but every other lion had put them on and seemed normal.

The many lions had obeyed, putting the collars on. Simba was king, and you didn't defy the king. The former Outlanders knew better than the Pridelanders the trouble disobedience brought, and had been the first to agree.

"Is that all of them?" Banzai asked. Simba stood watching the other lions, and Banzai was hidden from the crowd below.

"All but Kovu." Simba reported.

"It'll do. We can get him later."

And Banzai activated the remote. The inhibitors on each collar deactivated, and in an instant, the crowd of lions froze in place. Some began the spiral eyes almost right away, but the most strong-willed among them held on.

' _No! A trick!_ ' Vitani protested. Her body was not responding, and even as she battled to fight whatever was telling her to sleep and let her mind fade, she was able to see as the Hyena marched forward beside Simba above.

' _I'm not being a slave to a Hyena!_ ' She raged.

Her body responded, arms flying to the collar.

"Stop that one! Stop her!" Banzai commanded. As Vitani tried to undo the clasp, half a dozen entranced lions dived onto her. Below the pile of lions, her resistance faded.

"No!" She cried out one last protest, feeling that control she had struggled to gain back slide away. Her eyes fell for that split second...

...And the Pride Lands became the Slave Lands. Banzai smiled, and Ed laughed.

"Great idea you had, Shenzi. It's much better this way though." He said.

The entranced Hyena did not respond. She was just one now among many slaves of the collars. Soon, the other animals of the Pride Lands would be forced by the army of enslaved lions into joining their ranks...


End file.
